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That has nothing to do with combat stress. it's an act of a single individual who's dealing with whatever he may be dealing with. >> leo, you write this week that as the military community struggles to make sense of another base shooting, veterans are also left wondering whether this latest tragedy will again stoke misconceptions about their combat experience and post-war mental health. sergeant nevins alluded to that. what kinds of misconceptions? >> it's the rambo narrative, the idea that all veterans come back from war angry and ready to snap. there's not medical evidence that shows that. a...

And alcohol. we do frequent drug screenings. >> reporter: defendants who complete the 18-manage program -- well, they avoid jail time, but at the end they have a very good chance of seeing the charges against them dropped. >> what are the stories behind these veterans and these courts? >> reporter: court officials say they've been seeing a lot of young people coming from the battle fields of iraq and afghanistan, some with deep emotional scars, others with serious physical wounds that were treated with prescription pain killers. many of these veterans now becoming hooked on those pain killers....

Home today, stationed overseas. they're waking up in a military base away from their families. all they want to do is come home. one army veteran is trying to fulfill that dream. barbara starr records. >> i'm colonel dave sutherland. i'm a veteran with great pride. i'm a family, i'm a husband, i'm an uncle, i'm a son, i'm an american soldier. i served for you, i fought with you, and i would die for you. >> david sutherland led 5,000 troops in iraq. we met him first on patrol in 2007. >> they were sick and tired of al qaeda. >> reporter: now retired his journey to serve continues, with one pass...

Airfield. >> we want to wish our family and friends a very merry christmas. >> and happy new year. and we'll see new 2014. >> we love and miss you. >> christmas is a time to spend with family and friends but there are thousands of u.s. troops who are so far away from home, stationed overseas, waking up in a military base today away from their families. and all they want to do is come home. well, one army veteran is trying to fulfill that dream. pentagon correspondent barbara starr reports. >> i'm colonel dave southerland. i'm a veteran with great pride. i am a father, i am a husband, i am an u...

In contact with strangers. the dogs are trained to block people in front of the warrior and cover them in the back. >> for example if somebody were to walk up to them, the dog moves himself in between that individual and the warrior gives them a natural barrier. or if there is an atm machine the dog a automatically covers e back some more or less to say we have your back. reporter: one army soldier who did two tours in iraq and one in afghanistan was paired with wilco the dog. he says wilco helped him get through the dark time and bad days. >> i have a dog that needed something. he was at the ...